Pours from the bomber to a hazy copper-orange with thin off-white head that lingers well and leaves okay lacing. Aroma is mostly hoppy citrus and floral, with a hint of malty caramel. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, slightly tingly and just a shade bitter. Taste picks up the fruits of the nose and throws in a little toffee sweet malt. Finish is a fairly long, well rounded blend of the hops and malts. A nice from a new (for me) brewer. (434 characters)

Picked up a bomber from Princeton Liquors. It's a surprise to find this beer in MN when I didn't see this beer the last time I was in North Carolina.

At first whiff, this beer reminded me of the Middle Ages Wailing Wench, so being a hoppy beer with (my guess here) Ringwood yeast character and duacetyl. After the initial punch of butterscotch candy, there's richly earthy rye layered with biting grapefruit and citrus rind hops. The body is crisp and drinkable and overall this is a fine (and interesting) rye beer. Certainly worth a try. (541 characters)

A: A dark amber pour with a good off-white head. Lacing is great and so is the retention.

S: Pretty subtle but nice. Citrus and grapefruit along with some bread from the malt. There is just a hint of rye in the nose, getting strsonger as it warms up. I would have rated it higher if it had been a little stronger smelling.

T: Smooth and bready up front, turning into a touch of rye in the middle. Hops hit hard at the end with a a strong earthy/grapefruit bitterness that lasts well into the aftertaste. If I had to compare it to something, it tastes like a slightly hoppier EPA with some rye added.

M: Fairly drying aftertaste, not much else to mention.

O: A well balanced beer with a good combination of bready malt, rye and bitter hops. I just wish the rye were a little stronger as I am a fan of the style. (814 characters)

Pours a cloudy tea color with a nice foamy light tan head that fades fairly quickly leaving spotty patterns of Belgian lacing. The smell is an easily recognizable though timid peppery rye grain. Lightly carbonated, the mouth feel is medium bodied. Full flavored the peppery taste combine for a lively experience that finishes on the dry side. A really nice drinker and at less that 6% ABV its quite a session beer. (414 characters)

Drinkability: "What some rye? 'Course ya do." Rye Hopper maintains a more than pleasant balance between the sweetish malts and the spicy rye and bitter hops. Pleasantly drinkable and good expression of rye in beer, though, I will admit, I'm a bit partial to Terrapin's Rye Squared. (898 characters)

22oz bottle received as an extra in a trade with soulforpeanuts. Thanks! Poured into a Brooklyn snifter.

A - Pours a somewhat dirty looking amber brown color, a bit of haze, and a huge three fingers of head. Takes several gentle pours to get a full serving into the glass. Head is creamy colored with a thick whipped cream body that retains its shape even as it falls. Tons of loose, sticky lacing left on the glass.

S - Citrusy hops up front with heavy grapefruit, lemon, some pine and a bit of mint. Rye is right up front too, nice and spicy, apple-cinnamon, bready malt and yeasty aromas round things out.

T - Sharply bitter, but rounded out by the spicy and distinctive rye flavor. Lots of rich, bready malt at the base. Good mix of light sweetness, spice, yeasty/bready flavors, and bitter hops. Good interpretation of the style.

M - Medium in body. Carbonation is very high giving a foamy, fizzy feel in the mouth. Lingering bitterness stays behind. Carbonation is a bit distracting with its intensity.

D - Overall, a very good rye beer. Well integrated mix of flavors combining into a complex group of flavors to keep things interesting and balanced. Alcohol level is pretty low at 5.9%. Very good afternoon drinker. (1,228 characters)

This beer pours a golden orange color with tons of carbonation rushing to the top, literally swirling around one another. Two solid fingers worth of head that sits thick for awhile before I goes down. The smell is fresh crisp rye malt with a juicy fresh hop edge...big or fancy but a truly fresh and solid smelling beer.

Glug glug glug

The flavor is comes with a big bready malt flavor that has an awesome grainy edge to it, like wheat and multigrain bread. The hops come in balanced and humbly to add a sweet edge towards the end of the profile. Overall this is great rye malt that could stand for a bit more hops, but perhaps the Terrapin version has me confused because this too is a great Rye beer that offers a good full mouth feel and a beer that's well crafted and traditional. (787 characters)

A - Two fingers worth of slightly off-white colored frothy head... Fairly impressive retention gives way to a full lather of lacing... The color is deep rich autumnal orange color with some reddish trying to burst through... Loaded with swirling small bubbled carbonation... Loads of lacing clings to the glass...

S - Pizza dough fresh out of the oven... Just a moderate touch of rye spiciness... A bit of hoppiness lurks beneath the surface... A bit of earthiness... Nice balance...

T - Bready malts to start... Some caramel... A pungent hop bitterness comes next... A bit of rye spicienss follows... Everything begins to fade and then the finish is a returning crescendo of hops and rye... Loaded with nuance and complexity... A job very well done...

D - Definitely a very nice beer that walks the fine line between American Pale Ale and Rye Beer... Not the best in either category, but very nice offering none the less... More hops than rye, which as a rye beer lover is a bit of a let down... A great value at sub $5 per bomber... (1,205 characters)

Fresh bottle from Bruisin' Ales. Pours medium yellow, with initial foamy head that settles into lots of lace. Fresh hoppy malty aroma that includes some rye bread. Taste is, with middling mouthfeel, a fairly bitter high IBU ale that is blended with the rye for flavour. Drying finish. Very drinkable. (300 characters)

Got a draft pint at the CNN Center Taco Mac during a work conference. Pours an amber-orange color, topped by a bit of creamy white head that leaves a bit of pretty lacing on the glass. Aroma is heavy on the malt and rye - slightly tangy, with a touch of caramel and some citrusy hops. Palate is up front with the rye and barley malt - a blend of mild caramel sweetness and spicy, tangy rye. The hops come through mid-palate, giving a flourish of pine and/or grapefruit before yielding again to the spiciness of the rye on the finish. Body is light but substantial enough to carry the flavor. Nicely drinkable. I'm impressed with this offering - not a knockout by any means, but a solid, quaffable ale that takes advantage of the rye quality. I should seek out more rye beers - this is interesting. (799 characters)

Pours a clear brown with some nice soapy bubbles on the surface. The aroma is a nice mix of the rye, some floral hops, some lemon and some spiciness. Taste is mostly rye with a nice touch of floral hops. Bready with some light spiciness as well. The mouthfeel is pretty light and thin, almost a dry finish with the rye coming back in the finish pretty strong. I'm not a big fan of rye beers, but this one is very drinkable. (423 characters)

This one is a brownish hue with amber and ruby shades. Minimal head and retention isn't the greatest. Smell is nice but not what I had expected from a beer with Hopper in the name. Bigger on the malts than anything. Some caramel, chocolate, and a distinct nutty scent. Very light to no hops present, though still very enticing. Taste is much of the same. Reminds me of the malt profile of many Catawba Valley brews. A definite malt presence. Oh so yummy chocolate and caramel malt. A good nutty flavor to compliment. A hoppy flavor shows up toward the finish but could have done wonders if used a bit more liberally. Of course, there is a light spicy flavor, though like the hops not as present as I had imagined. Still, very nice and interesting to say the least. Mouthfeel lacked the bitterness that again I had expected from the name alone. Smooth, good carbonation, though lacking a certain bitterness from the "hopper" in the name. I could have a couple, if not a few, pints of this. A good beer that just didn't live up to my hop head expectations. I still want to give it another go. (1,090 characters)

Poured from 22oz bottle. Thanks to Lukafer for sharing this bottle with me. Review from notes.

A- Pours a nice hazy amberish brown color. Two finger cream colored head stays around for a short period before dying to a small cap on the beer. Nice streaking lacing on the sides of the glass.

S- Nice citrusy hops (grapefruit) right upfront on this. Light sour rye notes all over this beer as I sniff away. Bready malts in this make up the backbone of the beer. Not really much going on besides these.

T- Nice bitter hops in the front clash with a bitter sour rye taste. I can't believe how well this works in the front. Bready malts in the middle of the beer makes up a good backing to everything else on here. Light bitter yeasty flavor as well mixes well with a backing bitter hop flavor to round out this beer in the end.

M- Light mouthfeel. Carbonation is a little high for my liking to the style. Medium drying on the palate with this beer. Nice bitter flavor left on the palate and light rye and alcohol left in the aftertaste. Flavors are kind of just there and don't mix together all the way.

D- This was a very drinkable beer. Rye beers are getting to be my favorite style overall and it's because of easy drinkers like these. I personally liked this beer and could have finished a 22oz bottle of this by myself no problem. (1,340 characters)

Bomber poured into a Duvel tulip. Kind of a copperish dark amber topped with a creamy head that's modest in size but tenacious. Plentiful streaky and splotchy lacing.

The huge rye presence in the nose works quite well with the dry and roasty malt profile. Just a hint of toffeeish sweetness. Tastes pretty much as advertised, absolutely loaded with rye that coats and lingers. It's powerful enough to limit drinkability a bit, but this is tasty stuff. Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Between the rye, the dry malt profile and the assertive pine bitterness, this stuff is downright puckering. Kind of a popcorn kernel taste in there.

Overall impression: Fans of rye should definitely seek this one out. (712 characters)

M/D - Very dry like a good rye beer. Medium bodied and very crisp as well. Easy drinking but not the best rye beer I have had. Still not sure why they chose to highlight hops in the name. (721 characters)

Pours a clear reddish amber that is almost mahogany. Malty aroma has a rye overtone and hoppy and yeasty hints. Strongly hoppy flavor has a firm rye tone and only a little bitterness. Texture is rough, fizzy and ragged. This one is a joy to drink if you like a firm, sassy, earthy beer. (286 characters)

T/M: Again, lots of rye. A pleasant light sweetness from some toffee comes out, tasty. A bit nutty as well. Hops are not too big at all... not enough to be called 'hopper', that's for sure. There is a touch of bitterness as well as a bit of pine and some grassy/pollen-y hops. Body is medium to medium full and smooth and creamy.

D: Label says 5.9% ABV, about what I would have guessed. Drinkable with plenty of flavor. (749 characters)

S- Grapefruit right up front on this. Nice sour rye notes. Caramel and Bready malts are more here than you would usually find in a Rye.

T- A mellow bready & brown sugar taste Bready malts in the middle. but rounded out by the spicy and distinctive rye flavor. bitter hop flavor to round out this beer. Light bitter yeasty flavor at finish

M- Medium mouthfeel. Carbonation seems just right. I was using a big mug. Medium drying on the palate with this beer. Nice bitter flavor left on the palate and light rye and alcohol left at the end.

D- This was a very drinkable beer. Rye beers are getting to be one of my favorite styles.This is slightly more meaty than most. . I personally liked this beer. It was a nice surprise to see on Ingles beer shelf (882 characters)

Pours a slightly murky orangish red. A good amount of white head that hangs around. Smells great. Hoppy and rye heavy. Very similar to Nugget Nectar in the hop profile. Similar to Red's Rye in a lot of ways. Tastes sweet and a bit bitter with the hop presence. Thick solid moouthfeel. Very tasty overall. a bit thin but would definitely drink it again! (352 characters)

A: Pours a clear amber/copper color with a very nice 2.5 finger off white head. Nice retention and rings of lacing left behind.

S: Light pine hops, a little bit of citrus. A good bit of spicy rye and some bready malt.

T: Not as much rye translated to the flavor profile but there is a little kick upfront. Drinks more like a pale ale though. Nice hop flavor with some citrus, mostly grapefruit. There is a little caramel malt on the backend.